Nightingale
by WhiteGamma
Summary: A cruel trick played well forces Flynn to leave his home - as a criminal on the run. In her helplessness Estelle asks Yuri to find Flynn. However, when Yuri's path finally crosses that of his friend a mask shielding his face keeps Yuri from recognizing the former Knight underneath. Oblivious to Flynn's new identity Yuri continues his search for him. / Fluri
1. Chapter 1 - Chorus of Outrage

1st Chapter – Chorus of Outrage

Heavy weighed the air that surrounded Zaphias that day. For the people of the capital were in an uproar, which they had not been since the Adephago crisis two years ago…

It was that day that Imperial Knight Commandant Flynn Scifo had not exactly expected to be summoned by the council as he could not think of any reason to be called for. Obviously, Flynn had never been one of those people who met up in the afternoon to have a good cup of tea and talk about the newest gossip. If anything could spread faster than disease it was rumours. And the rumours that had reached even the council itself involved Flynn especially. To his dismay, nothing to his advantage.

Flynn had realized by the looks he was given that something was off. However, he had been left without even an inkling of an idea about the extent of whatever was wrong until a royal guard interrupted him in the middle of a meeting that afternoon, claiming that it was urgent. So urgent that the whole Council was awaiting him.

He had no clue of what to expect, all he knew that it was nothing good. In addition to his already bad feeling, Sodia had been looking uneasy all day. So when the guard had come in her fidgetiness seemed to have doubled. Flynn was overcome by the thought that everyone knew something that he did not. Although he would find out sooner than he would like to.

Right now he was standing right in front of the large wooden door, hesitating only for a moment to knock as he heard the wild discussing coming from the Councillors on the other side of the door. He wondered if they would even hear. Still his manners told him to knock and enter then. He was greeted by what he had heard outside already, the chattering only ceasing when one of the Councillors finally noticed the young Commandant standing right among them already.

"Silence!" he called. As wished, silence fell upon the room in a threatening manner. Flynn would not have needed to look to feel all those demanding eyes on him.

"You called me?" He wondered if it was impolite to ask. Should he know what to expect? Should he feel guilty for something?

One grey-haired man broke the tension lying in the air. "Indeed. I summon you, you better have an explanation for this, Scifo," he threatened, although it did not have the wanted effect due to his chubby face, making him look like the nice grandpa from the neighbourhood.

So he was supposed to know after all. "I apologize. I don't understand what you mean."

Another Councillor spoke "Commandant Scifo, it has come to our ears a rumour that has left us fearing your treason."

"Pardon?"

"Every citizen knows about it already. Many have come to the castle, upset about what they have heard!"

This was simply ridiculous. Whatever this rumour was, it was but a rumour that someone had made up to harm his reputation. "I don't know about such a rumour but you can rest assured that I have never even thought about anything like treason. Whoever has spread this word is nothing but a good story teller, or so it seems."

"But I assume you are familiar with a guildsman named Yuri Lowell, or am I mistaken?"

'Yuri…? Oh gosh, what has he done this time…'"I am, though I don't quite understand why you mention him right now."

"It would seem you really have no idea what the rumours are about, young man," one Councillor said, eying him suspiciously but finding no sign of denial in his posture.

"You are right. I haven't heard about it until now. Would you be so kind as to start from the very beginning so that I can assure you of my innocence?"

The older male nodded. "Hmm, very well. Apparently, someone claimed he has seen you with Yuri Lowell. We already knew about your questionable friendship with him. However, the rumours say that you are romantically involved with him. That is exactly why people question your loyalty for the Empire now. And their concern is justified. What chaos would errupt if the Commandant of the Imperial Knights betrayed his own people to be a man of the Union?"

There was a long moment of silence, tension rising once more. All that Flynn could do in that moment was stare back at those demanding eyes of the council. He knew, one wrong word and all of his efforts would have been in vain. Who had spread that word, he wondered. There was no use thinking about it now, though. Everyone demanded an answer right now.

He inhaled slowly, enjoying it as if it had been his last breath, before he finally replied, "It is true that Yuri Lowell and I have a very strong bond. However, nothing could break my loyalty for the Empire." He knelt down on his right knee to show his respect. "I have no intention of harming the Empire in any way. Please believe my words."

Another pause left the heads in the room thinking. Then, from the far corner, a voice called, shrill and accusing. "You are obviously more attached to that guildsman and their Union than to your duties to the Empire! You are going to betray us sooner or later! I demand a trial for his planned treason so we can avoid terrible consequences!"

Flynn did not want to believe his ears in that very moment. Was this really happening? He looked up, eyes dilated in shock. He had to do something. Assure them of his loyalty, but how? "No! I would never-!"

"He's right! People will know that we left him unpunished. They have already lost their trust in the Commandant. What if we are next? They might start a riot or even a civil war! We should stop this as long as it is still an error we can erase easily!"

No.

"But… It is not-"

"Gentlemen, let us not jump to conclusions. We should take the time to think up a solution."

"We honestly have no time to waste. The people of Zaphias demand a judgement to take place as soon as possible."

Flynn could feel goosebumps form on his skin, imagining what they could mean by 'judgement'. He watched the elders discuss his future, feeling completely helpless.

"Still, we have no right to act right on the spot. We will have to explain this to his Majesty."

Yes, maybe that was his last chance. He had to convince Ioder of his innocence. He would surely believe him.

"But what shall we do for now? What about the people? They are going to lose their respect for the council if we don't do something right now."

"That is true! He should at least be suspended until his trial!"

"But who is going to be in charge of his duties then?"

"We will just have to pick a suited successor."

Suspended? Successor? He had not even been able to change the flaws of law yet, and now he was going to be suspended already. Hardly anything had been achieved yet. He would have needed many more years to finally adjust the law to the people's needs but that goal seemed so far away, so out of reach. It could not end so easily, could it? It was just some rumours after all. Should they really be the end to his childhood dream?

"You cannot," he chimed in, interrupting their discussion once more. "It is only a matter of time until my damaged reputation is fine again. I can convince the people that I'm worthy of this post."

"And how are you going to do that? Go to each and every person in the city and tell them you are innocent? The rumours must have spread beyond the barrier already. How are you going to fix that, Scifo?"

Reality had not weighed so heavy in a long time. He had no idea how to fix the damage. He had not denied the rumours in any way that it was obvious he was not guilty. All the truth he relied on was the fact that he would never betray the Empire for which he had sacrificed so much already. "I… I will figure it out somehow."

"You will have to. Your time is very limited. Still, we have no other choice but to rid you off your title for now. You will be informed of further steps. Until then, you are dismissed. Thank you for attending." And with his dismissal the once thick glass of his hope to change the world became gravely thin, showing a small crack. The goal of someday being able to change the world to a place of justice and peace had once more become a distant dream. In the end the sharpest weapon that had ever been pointed at him was just a bunch of words.

* * *

"They saw him climb in through his window at night."

"It had not been the first time, so they say."

"I heard that the Commandant even met him during working hours. He must have neglected his duties a lot!"

"I've heard people say that they engaged themselves in indecent acts, and that not only once!"

"This is sickening me. And I trusted the Commandant all this time!"

"He's probably already been sneaking out information to the Union. That damn traitor!"

"I hope they get him arrested before anything bad happens. Just think about our children's future!"

"Oh gosh, what if the guilds are already waiting outside to destroy our city?"

"The authorities better do something quickly about this traitor's actions!"

"Look! There he goes."

"How dare he walk through the streets like nothing had ever happened. He should be so ashamed of himself!"

"Why is he even still walking around freely? I wish they would lock him up already…"

The words stung at least as much as the glaring, hate-filled eyes that Flynn was receiving as he walked down the streets. No corner he rounded would leave him a path he could walk without hearing the vicious whispers of the citizens. The more he heard, the more he realized there was no way to convince the people of his innocence. There had to be a way out of this, he thought as he kept walking with his eyes permanently on the paved floor. He could not bear to look into those horrified, disgusted and raging faces anymore. Despite this seemingly hopeless situation he still did not want to give up just now.

When he finally reached the Lower Quarter the looks of the citizens changed to ignorant. He made his way up to the small inn where old Hanks was currently sweeping the floor at the entrance. At his side he cleared his throat for attention. The old man turned and almost jumped when he saw the uniform but relief quickly washed over him at the realization that it was Flynn.

"Sorry to disturb you at work," he said politely.

Hanks laughed heartily. "Oh boy, that outfit on you never ceases to creep me out." His eyes softened. "It's good to see you around, Flynn."

He could not help but smile a little at that. "Could you maybe spare a few minutes?"

"Of course, of course." Hanks left the broom leaning against a wall and they went inside. There he poured his guest and himself a glass of juice. He sat down comfortably just across from him. "So what's the matter, son?"

"I may need your help. There are these… rumours about me…" He was not in the least comfortable asking a nice, old man for help when he had enough to do without him already, but he might be his only chance.

"Ah, those."

"You've heard about it, too, haven't you?"

"Who hasn't?"

That he was starting to wonder as well. Just how far had the word spread? Would Yuri know soon?

"Guess they've given you a rough time, huh?" A nod confirmed this. "Darn, it must have been one of those knights who were envious of your rank or so."

"Unfortunately, I have no clue. It could have been anyone, really. But what I really have to concentrate on for now is getting my name out of the dirt."

"What do you need for that? Can I help you?"

Flynn's grip on his glass tightened a little. He wanted to help these people, it should not be the other way around. "Maybe… Maybe if you could try to help me get rid of those rumours by saying the opposite. Get as many people to believe us and spread the word. People like to remember the bad that a person has done. That's why I'm mostly relying on the Lower Quarter to stay on my side. They think so bad of the Empire itself that they are more likely to see that I've only ever meant to be of help. I am announced guilty of treason after all."

The old man nodded, stroking his beard in thought. "Mhm, I see. You got the right person there, boy. I'll see what we can do for you. I hope everything works out for you. It would be horrible to see you rise through the ranks just to fall all the way back down again."

Flynn only stared at his glass of juice distantly. It would be the most horrible scenario indeed. "I will do everything I can to not disappoint you anymore."

"Flynn," Hanks said and put a hand on the younger male's shoulder, making him look up at him. "You shouldn't try to carry everyone's burden on those tiny shoulders. Nobody blames you for the Empire's mistakes…"

"I know…" He got up slowly and forced a smile to reassure the old man. "Thank you for your support. I appreciate it."

* * *

"Flynn!"

At the call of his name he turned around immediately to find Estelle running towards him through one of the long hallways. Stopping right in front of him, she tried not to pant from the little sprint.

"Lady Estellise. Thank you for coming." She only shook her had as a way of saying 'Don't mention it'.

"It's just horrible what's happened! I've heard all of it." For a moment Flynn dearly hoped that she did not exactly know _all _of it, as she so claimed, for it would mean she had also heard people say indecent things about him and Yuri.

She quickly turned all directions, seemingly afraid someone might overhear their private conversation. "Please follow me to my room." They did not hesitate and when they arrived Estelle even locked the door behind her. She turned around, her green eyes filled with sorrow and sympathy.

"I have heard about your suspension… Oh, Flynn, I'm so sorry. I can't believe this is the work of a few bad words about you." The blond averted his gaze to avoid those devastated looking eyes.

"Please don't be sorry, it's not your fault after all."

She clutched her hands together in front of her chest. "We have to do something to make those bad rumours vanish. I will also talk to Ioder. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to so far. Maybe we should also let Yuri know. I bet he could come up with a plan to get you out of this trouble."

"No," he replied, not realizing that he was looking quite terrified at the thought of contacting Yuri about this matter.

"But why not?"

Quickly he tried to find an explanation. "He… He wouldn't be here in time. And… I honestly don't want him involved…" He drifted off, wondering how Yuri would react to the rumours, to his answer. He was afraid of what he might say. Perhaps he would laugh, which would be the nicest of all scenarios, most likely.

"But, Flynn…" She hesitated for a moment, noticing the look on his face. With additional care she continued "Is he not already involved because the rumours are about you and him?"

"That's true, but I would rather not have him involved in solving this case."

Estelle was growing a little frustrated given the seriously bad situation. "Don't we need all the help we can get?"

He pondered that proposition for a moment but eventually shook his head. "I will have to do this without him this time." He looked back up at her again, his eyes in a mixture of determination and hopelessness. "I am counting on you and Ioder to delay my trial and hopefully I'll be able to convince the citizens. This is my only chance."

"I… I understand. How are you planning to change the people's minds?"

"I will have to think about it. Until I come up with a plan I am relying on the Lower Quarter to still believe in me…"

The princess let out a burdened sigh and took a step forward to wrap her arms around her friend. "I hope so much that everything works out for you."

Flynn hesitated to return the embrace and eventually went along with patting her back slightly. "Thank you, Lady Estellise. I do hope so, too." He bowed slightly before he turned his back on her and left the room. There was only the ticking of the clock in the background, the princess' gaze still fixed upon the wooden door. She bit her lower lip and exhaled a sigh. She had made a decision but it would not be easy for her to go along with that plan.

"I'm sorry, Flynn… But I think you'll break your neck if you don't get the right help." Doing something against her friend's will, behind his back, was really no smooth task, but she had to do it. She promptly retrieved a small stack of sheets of paper from the top drawer of her desk and sat down at the table. What should she write? Where to start? She grabbed the feather and began to write in the curly handwriting of hers.

_Dear Yuri,_

_Something terrible has happened. Flynn is in a plight and really needs your help, I know that, even though he is too stubborn to ask for it himself. The Council has only decided on suspending him so far, however, they will certainly take further steps…_

_Flynn is being accused of treason. The assumption was caused by rumours that keep the people of Zaphias in fear and rage. Almost everyone is against him right now. And if we find no way for him out of this… I am not sure what the consequences will be._

_We rely on your help._

_Sincerely,_

_Estellise_

She was relieved when the letter was taken out and hoped with all of her heart that Yuri would be on time to help Flynn in his misery. What she would never know, the letter she had sent would lie uselessly in the guild's postcase in the far away Dahngrest for a week longer than hoped.

* * *

A young boy danced around happily over the muddy ground, having the brightest of smiles on his face that the world had ever seen. His cheeks were flushed a rosy colour, his eyes sparkling in a dreamy manner. "Aw, man, and she said that she thinks it was really brave of me to beat that guy up to get the old man's money back. And-and-and-!"

The older male's voice chimed in "Wow, Karol, looks like the girl's head over heels with your bravery, huh?" Yuri grinned playfully, enjoying the way the boy's face grew even redder.

"W-w-well, yeah! Of course she is!" Karol went silent for a moment, daydreaming once more about his crush, the scene from earlier replaying itself in his mind. Nan had always been the one girl that he wanted to impress the most. What others thought did not matter as much as only a small praise from the girl of his dreams. He sighed in such a lovesick manner that Yuri found himself having a hard time trying not to burst out laughing.

"Alright," he said then, patting the small teen's shoulder. Admittedly, he had grown quite a bit in the past two years. Sometimes Yuri had to wonder if he would grow taller than him. Maybe then people would finally see him as a worthy guild leader. Pondering this and listening with one ear to Karol's swoony comments on how cute Nan was, they slowly made their way towards their modest guild house. He would have forgotten the fact that they should have arrived one day earlier already if not for the two familiar faces that came into view as they approached their destination.

Karol tugged Yuri's sleeve. "Hey, look," he said and pointed at the tan male in front of him. "I expected Judith to be here in time, but what's Raven doing here all punctual?"

Yuri gave him a huff, followed by a smile. "I guess not even Raven is as unreliable as we are. I didn't think it would matter but when you got yourself beaten up you were out for a whole day and not only a few hours."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Must have slipped my mind."

"So we're one day late?"

"Yep."

"And they didn't know we would be?"

"Nope."

"Ugh… Okay. Hope they're not mad."

Judith greeted them with her usual smile, giving an aura of calmness. "You're quite a bit late." She did not sound upset, as to be expected of her contained nature. "What was the hold-up?"

Yuri simply pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at Karol.

"Wha- Hey! It was a really important case that needed to be solved! I-it was uhm… We had to save a damsel in distress from the-"

"Save that story for your girlfriend."

Judith giggled lightly and stretched her arms while Raven yawned. "Ya know, next time there's an 'emergency' at least lemme know beforehand. This old man's time is limited."

Yuri snickered at the comment. "Like you're going to collapse any moment now."

"Ya never know 'til it hit ya."

"Wow! Look at how many letters we got!" Karol suddenly called from the now open door of their guild home, holding up a bunch of envelopes and waving them around happily. He went back to admiring the amount, looking through the names. "Man, it's really a dream come true!"

Yuri smiled contently at the sight of the boy's happiness. For quite a while now everything had been going so smoothly and peacefully that he almost thought of it to be surreal. However, he got torn back down to earth every time the Empire was involved. It was hard to shape this huge rock and make changes but he knew that, far away from him, Flynn was trying his best to make this world a better place. He looked up at the sky, a light breeze making his dark purple hair swing along with the wind. He could not shake off this feeling that Flynn was not as content with his life as Yuri was. Sometimes it was hard to imagine that he could feel happiness while somewhere else his friend might be facing despair and sorrow without his knowledge. He often wondered how he was doing but he never got over his pride to actually write to him. How was he doing, indeed. He had not seen him in a very long time. Last time he visited Estelle at the castle Flynn had not been there at first. Only one day before they departed again, Flynn had returned in the evening, completely exhausted like the rest of his troupe, but of course he did not let it show.

It was in that one night over two months ago that Yuri had seen him last time. Those few hours had been the only time they had seen each other the entire year. Observing the situation from that angle with those frustrating numbers, he could not help but realize they had slowly been living their relationship apart. That night had therefore not been like any other night before. The atmosphere had been strange and that was not because he had climbed in through the window, walking in on a stripping Commandant. Flynn had seemed a little uneasy with his presence, even if still happy to see his friend. Yuri still remembered this strange feeling of paranoia that seemed to stalk him that night. It had made him close the window after he had entered. The whole evening had been a strange experience. He was just glad that Flynn seemed to have stayed the same at least. The mention of a familiar name tore him out of his deep thoughts.

"Hey, this one's from Estelle. Let's see what she writes…" Karol opened the letter without hesitance, reading eagerly. However, as he read on his bright face dropped to a troubled one, his mouth hanging slightly open in shock. Yuri frowned at the sight and had to wait only a moment. "Yuri…" The boy held the letter out to his 'big brother', "…it's about Flynn."

* * *

Fiery discussions were ignited with the last witness' testimony. The ex-Commandant was sitting helplessly in the dock, looking up at the Councillors and Ioder's troubled expression.

"Silence," the Emperor ordered with one hand raised, waiting for the chattering to die down.

"I think we have heard enough. The sentence for him seems quite clear to me, if I may say so," a Councillor said, his chin held high and haughty.

"What would that be?" Ioder asked, hoping to delay the obvious end to this trial. Estelle was sitting only a few seats next to him, her hands folded in a praying manner in front of her face. Her eyes would shut tightly from time to time as if she was begging depserately for a miracle to happen. Flynn could not deny that he was praying inwardly as well. The citizens in the rows behind him were partly whispering, partly yelling disgusting things about him. 'Traitorous bastard' was only one of many other insults.

"He obviously needs to be arrested at the very least! We cannot let him walk around freely and wait for the day to come when he will lead the Union into the city to destroy us!" the Councillor exclaimed as his fist slammed down on the table in front of him.

Ioder shook his head sternly while the citizens and several Councillors were fired on by those accusations. "I do not deem this very just, I must say. So far there has been no 'witness' who held actual evidence in their hands against Flynn Scifo. This courtroom will not imprison anyone who is not proven guilty. This trial will be adjourned." Many calls of protest were directed at the Emperor who stood his ground and rose from his seat. "Silence. The defendant will please follow me now."

Flynn would have rosen from his seat by himself if the Royal Guards did not feel the need to treat him like a common criminal, putting their hands under his arms to pull him roughly onto his feet. He glared swiftly at them and made his way around the courtroom to the door in the far corner. The background was filled with hateful comments and further protesting. Flynn could not bear to even steal a glance at the raging mob of citizens that had once entrusted him with their daily safety. Else he would have been able to dodge the tomato that hit the side of his face, making him stop in his tracks for a moment. He heard the faint sound of Estelle's gasp. His hand came up to rub at his dirtied face and he turned to the wildly cursing crowd with a horrified look on his face. He caught a quick glance of old Hanks who looked down to the floor, ashamed that he had not been able to help, desperate from having to see this happen to the man he had watched grow up. Flynn was roughly pushed to walk forward by a guard. He obliged, walking through the door and down the hallway with heavy steps, carrying the burden of a broken man. Flynn prayed wildly in his mind that he could finally wake up from this nightmare, have everything back to normal again. The loud clinking of the shackles on his hands, however, made it hard to believe he was going to wake up any time soon.

The doors to the Emperor's room flew open and he was pushed inside. Ioder, sitting at his desk, nodded for the guards to leave the two of them alone. As soon as the doors closed, he spoke, "Please, Flynn, have a seat."

Flynn did as demanded of him, although he was hesitant about every one of his actions by now. He was trembling slightly but tried to stay his contained self.

The other male sighed and stood up to walk around his desk. "I know this is not the result you had hoped for. But you must see that this is the only thing I can do for you for the moment being."

Flynn nodded. "I understand your situation. Thank you for your help."

"Most of the citizens have clear demands on your punishment… I will not be able to protect you from their growing rage any longer. I hope you understand what I am trying to say."

He nodded once more, this time staying silent. He could imagine all too well what was going to happen now that the people's fury could not be calmed down anymore. The door was opened once more to reveal an utterly worried Estelle. She rushed to Flynn's side.

"Excuse me barging in like this b-but…" Flynn could hear from her cracking voice that she was close to tears. His head was hanging low, gaze fixed on the floor between his feet. The discussion between Ioder and Estelle that was playing in the background became distant until he did not hear it any longer.

'So this is the end of everything I have tried to achieve? This is all that I have been? A failure in the very end. Everything had been… in vain.' As slowly as it was sinking in that this was indeed reality, as painful it was. It had not been like a quick stab in the back, but like a slow, torturing thrust of a blunt, old knife.

Even Estelle was starting to realize between heart-breaking sobs and hot tears that reality had hung up a rope to rest on Flynn's shoulders. Was all that he could do wait until it was tight around his neck?


	2. Chapter 2 - Ashes Remain

2nd Chapter – Ashes Remain

Drip. Drop. Came the ever constant sound of water dripping down the ceiling onto the cold stone floor. Sometimes it would be the only noise in the whole dungeon. Unfortunately, sometimes that would not be the case. Prisoners would yell, curse, laugh and poke fun at their new company.

"Do tell, Scifo, how's the air in your cell?" A low-voiced, disgusting laugh emitted from the man's throat. If only he could at least be lonely in peace. But Flynn had managed to block out their mocking comments a while ago. He sat on the hard floor, his back and head leaned against the wall, eyes closed. Shifting into different positions, he tried to be comfortable somehow. The only thing he had been granted was a woolen blanket he had draped over his shoulders to keep the night's cold away a little. To the passing by guards he gave the perfect image of a contained man that knew he would make it out alive somehow. Inwardly, his mind was racing as much as his heart. The worst scenario that was actually not very unlikely to happen was his execution. With an enormous amount of luck he might even get away with only the suspension. Another option was staying in prison for an unclear period of time. Either way, he needed a plan. The best thing that could happen to him would be an influential eye witness to testify in his favour. Or better even, many influential people on his side. With things as they were now, however, it looked very bad for him with almost everyone in Zaphias against him. He could not help but think that if he had been born into a family of the Royal Quarter he would be in no trouble, just like Cumore back then.

His eyes opened slowly, watching the dripping of the water with a stoic expression. "It's hopeless, isn't it…?" he mumbled to himself. He stayed like that for a long time. How long he could not tell anymore. He looked back on his life, thought about his father and mother. Thought about how he wanted so much to be a better knight than his father had been. Thought about how he grew up with Yuri.

'Yuri…' He hoped dearly that Yuri would never hear of his stroke of fate, although it was unlikely to stay a secret behind the bars of this cell. The news would certainly reach him. What would he do, he wondered. Hopefully nothing that would get him in jail as well. Maybe right now Yuri was having a good life with his friends, away from all the obscurity that surrounded the Empire. The thought of Yuri being happy made his heart a bit lighter.

Sitting in the dark, cold cell, Flynn felt like his life was really going to end no matter what he did now. It made him feel he should have appreciated his life more than he had so far. Maybe he should have given in and asked Yuri for help after all. He regretted not having seen Yuri in so long. He had always been the most important person in his life. As a friend, as a brother and something he did not know the term for. It was stronger than friendship and brotherhood. Flynn had always thought of him as a very precious and special person in his life. They could laugh and fight, make up and cry. Maybe soulmate was a nice term for how he felt toward Yuri, the most important part of his life.

He exhaled heavily, not sighing loudly, though. He had no idea if Yuri felt the same way. He surely had a lot of friends. Still, Flynn was sure that Yuri would not be happy if he actually was to be executed. Was it selfish of him to leave his most precious person out on matters that would have a great impact on his life? He just wanted him to stay out of trouble, that was not selfish. But he still felt a twinge of guilt in his chest, imagining Yuri's probably hurt expression when he found out.

He had thought about it over and over but he just could not find a solution. All of his hours in the dungeon had been spent on thoughts of his escape. There was no way around being a criminal anymore, whether he escaped or not. That was one thing he did not have to worry about anymore. All he needed to think of now was a way to escape. Preferably without getting anyone involved. He could imagine getting out with Estelle's help, but he would only unnecessarily put her in danger. And he could not live on with the uncertainty of her well being. Wondering, should he leave it to the court, to Ioder and the council? He remembered the Emperor's words then. They had only proven Flynn's assumptions to be true. He was to be sentenced, probably to death. Soon the whole Empire would be against him and not even Ioder would be able to save him anymore then. So he could not rely on mercy. There was no other way, he had to flee.

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him and his eyes fell closed. He would think of a plan for the next few days or however much time he had left. But not now, every limb felt tired and his aching head screamed for rest. There had once been a time, he remembered, when Yuri would sing him to sleep…

"_Just sleep already."_

"_But I just can't…," the small blond whined, the lower half of his face under the blanket, shivering slightly._

_Yuri sighed and turned around at first, his back facing the other boy. He had actually thought of ignoring Flynn but it was hard to do so when the poor boy was trembling and sounded like he was still crying. With another sigh he turned around again, his lips graced with a comforting smile._

"_Come on now, Flynn. Stop your crying and sleep." He brought a hand up from under their blanket and wiped sloppily at the blond's cheeks to clean them off of any sign of sadness. The boy looked questioningly at him and could make out the other boy's bright smile in the dark of the night. "It will be alright, I promise! They won't ever do that to you again, I'll take care of that personally because you're my friend. And no one has the right to hurt Yuri Lowell's friends!" _

_Another tear slipped out of the blond's eye, landing on the linen they had folded to create a pillow. He tried to smile but only managed to make his lips quiver. He felt himself being pulled into a hug and welcomed it by returning the friendly hushed his friend but he still would not sleep. It was all those knights' fault. They had picked on Flynn, talked bad about his father and when Flynn tried to get back at them they beat him up. Yuri had thrown rocks at the cowards until they beat him up as well. Flynn was still anything but stable when it came to his father's death. Or his mother's. Yuri constantly felt bad for Flynn for losing his family, although he could not remember having one himself. Besides Flynn… And for that reason he stayed protective of his only family. He knew that the blond could very well take care of himself like Yuri did, but he still felt as if it was now his duty to take care of him._

_Yuri frowned into the dark and hugged the other boy a little tighter. Then he heard the trembling voice, unclear between sobs and sniffling. "D-don't do anything that will get you in trouble, okay?" Yuri smiled at that. He might have been the protective part but Flynn was the good voice of a caring parent._

"_Nah, I won't. Now hush and sleep." Still Flynn would not be able to sleep._

_Yuri was not sure why he did what he did then but it was helping a lot. He started to hum a melody he did not remember the origin of, only knew the tones and simply let it flow. He noticed Flynn calm down and continued until he knew that his friend was asleep. He smiled down, proud of the result and cuddled a little closer until he was comfortable and fell asleep as well._

Flynn had asked Yuri countless times to sing to him again. Of course, he declined every time and would not tell where the melody had come from. Yuri had only ever sung to him right after his mother's death, when there was no one else left but Yuri. He was very grateful for his sympathy and the attempts at comforting him. Even for beating up the knights that picked on him although it only got him in trouble, as expected.

A weak smile tugged at the corner's of his lips as the last memories of Yuri guided him into the cozy darkness of sleep.

* * *

It was neither the chirping of free birds nor the bright tickle of sun light that woke the former commandant that day, but rather a loud noise that rang in his ears even seconds after it. A guard had struck the bars of his cell with his sword and added the lovely yell of 'Wake up!' to it. Flynn got up just as ordered, his obedience ever present like that of a trained dog. Maybe it would turn out to be in his favour if he kept his cool and acted submissively. The cell was unlocked and that very feeling of freedom was quickly replaced by that of shackles on his hands. He looked down at the massive chains, wondering how he might get rid of those in case he even needed to know. Without keys it would certainly turn out to be a difficult task but those shackles were not the biggest problem. His head raised, gaze settled on the corridor that was now filled with more guards. Among those familiar faces he recognized one especially familiar to him – Sodia.

She stood there in an uptight position that made it look like she could suffer cramps any moment, her fists clenching and unclenching in an unnerved manner. Flynn could tell that she knew she was being looked at by the way she desperately tried to avoid his eyes, looking in the opposite direction. Her cheeks were a little flushed from her nervousness and her brow was frowning constantly. For only a moment the idea crossed his mind that it could have been her. Only a few weeks prior he had denied her promotion to captain. Half of the council had tried to get her promoted due to shortage of qualified personnel, however, Flynn and the rest of the council thought that she was not ready for so much responsibility and shall remain lieutenant for longer. In her place a man named Ernest Heels had become captain. Sodia was not supposed to be informed of a debate that turned out negative for her and so she had no clue she could have been promoted. That was until the day Flynn had told her about it with the hope that it might motivate her. He knew exactly how much of a hard worker she was but also felt that it was not her time yet and that she was still lacking experience. Sodia had given him a bittersweet reaction to this. At first she seemed disappointed that her idol did not think she could handle greater responsibilities yet. In the end she was grateful to have been informed, though, and seemed more determined to rise above her limits.

It could not have been her, he thought. Fact was, theoretically it could have been her. Flynn simply did not want to believe so. A rough shove in the back pulled him out of those thoughts and he made his way down the corridor and, guards in front and right behind him, made his way up the stairs. Never had he felt so uncomfortable walking with knights. Now those heavy, threatening steps would give him bad memories. Not even the weather was nice, he realized as the first window came into sight. The sky was covered by a thick layer of grey clouds, leaving no sun light through whatsoever. From this angle he could see rooftops of buildings of the Lower Quarter. He had never thought about this but nagging at his mind was the idea that maybe he should have stayed there. In the end, what had he managed? Hardly anything. As lieutenant he had been proud of his brigade, though. Slowly he had managed to change his men's view of things in this world. They would certainly stay good knights, whether he left or not. That thought made him feel like his efforts had not been completely in vain. Maybe someone would continue where he had failed and would be able to change the laws further. His job was certainly done here, even if left unfinished overall.

When a heavy door, twice as tall as himself, came into view he knew that he was going to court again today. After only one day, he wondered. That could be either very positive or very, very negative. He dearly wished it would not be the latter. The door was pushed open and he was led to the middle of the courtroom where the guards on either side of him pushed him to sit down, shackles clinking as they hit the table in front of him. He was once again facing the Councillors and in the middle the judge, Emperor Ioder. From behind him he could make out the upset citizens of Zaphias and their never ceasing protests and insults. He closed his eyes, exhaling a little shakily. If only this was a nightmare.

His eyes opened in time to see the young Emperor rise from his seat and with him the rest of the court did as well. Only then did Flynn notice the dispirited-looking Estelle. Her rosy pink bangs were shielding her eyes from the reality she did not want to see. If even her hope had died that much then that could only mean that something really bad had happened. Flynn was anything but eager to find out.

"Flynn Scifo," the Emperor called out through the large courtroom and everything fell silent. "I am obligated to ask you if you will still claim your innocence."

Flynn did not hesitate, "Yes, I do," but had to wonder.

"So you will not admit to planned treason nor to the affair with guildsman Yuri Lowell. Yes?"

"…yes."

There was a moment of silence and Ioder looked troubled. He nodded to the guards who immediately pulled Flynn back to his feed again and to the side of the courtroom where he sat down in the dock. This did not look good.

Flynn's palms were already sweaty from anxiety. Then, unexpected to him, a knight stepped closer to the middle to be seen, a few sheets of paper resting firmly his hand.

"Your Highness, if I may…," he said, sounding urgent about getting this information out he was holding in his hands. Ioder nodded and the knight continued. "On further inspection of Commandant Scifo's office as well as his private rooms we have found these letters. It's evidence of Scifo's plans that have been plotted together with the recipient, Yuri Lowell. We have discovered a series of replies from his complice. The latest piece of evidence was a letter written by the defendant which he probably planned to send to the Union again. We have compared this letter to Scifo's handwriting and there is no doubt that it is his."

There was a pause. Just when protest was boiling up to the surface, Ioder held his hand up for silence. "May I have a look at these…" As ordered, the knight walked up to the Emperor and handed the papers to him who examined the content as well as the writing itself carefully.

In the meantime Flynn had started to sweat and tremble from both fear and anger. The idea of him trying to betray the Empire was still as unlikely to him like someone saying 'the sun is purple'. The evidence was forged and he hoped dearly that Ioder would be able to tell it was. After all he had no evidence or eye witness for his innocence so far. However, what made him especially angry was the fact that this someone was using Yuri to get what they wanted as well.

"I…see…," the Emperor spoke quietly and handed the letters back to the man who had brought them to him. When the knight had walked back to his space between the others Ioder looked down at the document that lay in front of him on the desk. He looked back up and ordered "Witness Monique Leblanc shall step forth."

The words had hardly been spoken when the guards on either side of the entrance opened the doors. Heads turned and the clicking of heels filled in the silence. The steps came closer and into view came a young woman. She was wearing expensive clothing and appeared to be in her mid-twenties. Her olive green hair was tugged up in a fancy bun and, in contrast to her vividly coloured clothes, her grey eyes looked rather dull. She was walking with an upright posture, speaking the body language of a well-mannered, young lady. Her eyes shifted to the side to glance at Flynn for a moment. Something inside him told him he had seen that face before but he could not quite put his finger on it. Monique Leblanc, though? Leblanc? Could they be related, he wondered. His eyes searched the courtroom for the knight and found him. He was looking quite surprised himself. Flynn was by now really curious of what she might have to say but was even more afraid of it.

As she made her way to the front, her eyes were transfixed on one spot for another few moments. Her gaze seemed to have settled across the room where a handful of knights stood on their guard. It all happened too fast and Flynn had no idea where she had looked. It was not worth a second thought, however. What was important now was her testimony. She finally arrived in the middle of the great courtroom where she waited for permission to sit down.

"Please have a seat," Ioder offered with his hand gesturing to the chair right in front of her.

She did as ordered. Then a guard from right beside his Highness held up a bunch of files in front of his own face. "Monique Leblanc, 21 years old, granddaughter to ex-Councillor Edrin Leblanc. Is this correct so far?"

The woman gave a confident nod, crossing her legs beneath the table. "You have informed the palace of the following crime…" Flynn shifted a little in his seat, quite affected by this tension and plagued by the question who that woman might be. "The former Commandant of the Imperial Knights, Flynn Scifo, has engaged himself in a relationship with a man of the Union and has been planning to commit treason against the Empire for a longer period of time now with said man. You claim to have witnessed a scene that would act as important evidence in this case." A short break in which no sound was made. Flynn could by now hear his own heart drum in his ears. "You reserve the right to not tell anything that might burden yourself. Please testify now."

Another nod before she took a breath, bracing herself for her speech. Ioder leaned forward a little, refining his concentration to maximum, for his friend's life would depend on this one witness. A pearl of cold sweat ran down the side of Flynn's face as he tried his best to at least keep his trembling under control. Only then did he notice the man sitting beside him that was surely supposed to be his defense attorney who had not even bothered to introduce himself so far. Certainly, he was one of the majority in the Empire who was against him.

"I have indeed become witness of an obscene display. It was one night, about two months ago. I was about to leave the grounds of the castle when an open window caught my eye. It was the Commandant's room which was lit brightly. I could easily make out the two figures standing by the open window. It was the Commandant himself and his…partner, Yuri Lowell." She paused for a moment, seemingly uncomfortable with whatever she would have to describe next. Her hand came up to cover her mouth and her gaze fell to the floor. After a deep breath she continued, seeming so disgusted that it made Flynn frown at her. "As that… street boy wanted to leave again they… they exchanged fervent kisses." She gulped heavily as if she was about to throw up but Flynn hardly noticed, those words repeating themselves in his head. Only partly was he aware of his face growing hotter every additional second he spent thinking about himself and Yuri in the described scenario.

"But this is not all. As I got closer to the scene I could hear them talk about their plans. The commandant gave him confidential information concerning safety measures of the city and borders of the Empire as well as information on single people of the Imperial Knights and noblemen. I believe that they have been trying to come up with a plan to attack and take over our Empire. This commandant…" Her hand rose as her index finger pointed to Flynn, her face full of determination and conviction. "has been nothing but a fraud to begin with."

All the attention had then shifted to the ex-commandant who was by now blushing quite obviously, thanks to his colourful imagination. Unfortunately, that reaction to the testimony only gave the claim more strength. The room was filled with chattering once more and one citizen stood up, yelling how shameful he was and what scum he and his 'Union-whore' were. Upon hearing this, Flynn stood up as well, his hands slamming down on the table in front of him. "Keep Yuri out of this!"

This reaction had even worsened his situation, but he only realized this when it was too late already. As the already mortified crowd seemed to be on fire once more, the attorney beside Flynn pulled on his arm to make him sit down again. He shifted his attention back to the witness to ask "Do you have any evidence for this theory?"

"Only my own pair of eyes and my mind that would like to erase this memory. As well as Flynn Scifo only has his voice to speak against my claim." That seemed to be all that it took to silence that poor excuse of an attorney. So the citizens in the rows behind the woman started cursing and accusing loudly again. If only Flynn could block out their voices of hate and disgust, then maybe he could find a contradiction in her testimony and point it out to her and maybe be safe for now. However, with the people that once trusted him never ceasing their rage it was nearly impossible to think. He could only sit and fiddle with his cold, sweaty hands as he now relied on a miracle to happen. But Flynn had to be realistic, nobody would dramatically push the door open and prove his innocence. His hands were now folded in front of him, his face hidden behind them and his golden bangs. Nobody would save him anymore. The evidence was enough to convince the whole Empire of his guilt.

In the middle of the raging chaos was the calm lady from the Royal Quarter, beneath her trustworthy façade she hid the true satisfied expression. Satisfied with herself for not only getting the commandant behind bars but also…

…finally…

Estelle was trying her best to talk Ioder into a decision he would not regret, as she called it. The Emperor let his gaze wander over the chaotic courtroom, from his knights, over the enraged citizens, to the eye witness. To a broken man who had fallen from the high title of commandant to that of a criminal. Ioder knew, no matter which option he chose, he would regret it anyway. Whether he turned his back on his empire or have Flynn…

…sentenced to death for high treason.

The choice was his people or his friend. Not even as Ioder rose from his seat to reconcile with the Councillors in the adjoining room the citizens would turn down their voices. The next minutes that passed them by seemed way too slow and horribly fast at the same time. Anxious to hear what the sentence would be and not prepared to learn the truth yet. Flynn felt sick, stomach feeling clenched and turned, limbs sore from the night in the dungeon, eyes stinging from sleep deprivation. He still wore the clothes for his commandant duties, safe for his armour, from two days ago which were partly soaked with cold sweat and clinging to his damp skin. His head was aching, ears buzzing with the hateful yells and the drumming of his own irregular heart beat.

The door opened again and as Flynn looked up, maybe still a little hopeful, he did not meet the Emperor's eyes. Ioder could not bear to look at him, instead he let his gaze rest on the citizens straight ahead for whom he had decided. The same knight who had earlier read the claim now stepped forward again to read out the result everyone had waited for.

"Given the presented evidence as well as the testimony of Monique Leblanc the court hereby finds the defendant, Flynn Scifo,…"

Flynn stared with wide, blue eyes up at the knight, to Ioder who refused to meet his gaze and to Estelle who was holding her breath from the tension.

"…guilty."

His hands fell limply onto his knees, shackles clinking. Flynn did not hear the next words anymore, only somehow caught that for his sentence court was adjourned once more. He stared at the confined hands in his lap, his face drained off any sort of expression. Barely did he feel the rough grip that pulled him back onto his feet and pushes that made him walk forward like a lifeless doll. Never did he see the guilt written all over Ioder's face or how Estelle broke down onto her knees in tears. Nor did he notice Sodia trying desperately to catch up with him and the knights leading him away. Pushed down the corridors, down the stairs into the dungeon, he was shoved one last time to place him back into the cell he had come from. Even several minutes after the door had been locked behind him he still remained standing on his feet in the same position until his legs gave in beneath him and he sank to his knees.

In the next three days Flynn noted that Estelle had tried every day to get permission to visit him. However, her wish was never granted and every time the knights had sent her away again. Everyone who had once worked directly under him in his brigade were not permitted to supervise him. He knew that because Sodia had once requested permission to see him but she was rejected as well. In those three days Captain Heels had been promoted to commandant, at least he heard so from the two guards that were supervising him at that moment. And if that had really been everything he had heard then he would have spared himself from further trouble.

The one guard laughed, grunting as he did so. "Didn't think he'd rise through the ranks so quickly. Though I guess it's really true what people say. Commandant Heels came from a wealthy family. Heard they have lots of connections to important people as well. I mean… Scifo came from the Lower Quarter after all."

"Yeah, I know." Flynn's head rose only slightly so that he could look at the men talking about him. The smaller man elbowed the other with a distasteful smirk as he said "Hey, his whore was from the Lower Quarter as well. Guess the lowlives will always go back to their roots anyway. They really fornicate however they want down the-"

In only the blink of an eye Flynn had pushed himself off the ground he had sat on for the past three days, dashed forward, grabbed the guard by the straps that kept his armour in place and tore him backward, the back of his head which was not protected by his helmet hitting the bars right behind him. He let go of the guard as soon as his body became limp and let him fall to the ground. The other guard could only stare in shock. After a moment he had recovered and opened his mouth to say something but the words were caught dry in his throat as an icy glare was sent toward him. The man stood still like a statue, his hands starting to tremble so much that he dropped the spear he was holding. Apparently, the object hitting the ground startled him enough to run off and out of the dungeon. Only when the guard was gone did Flynn notice that even the chattering of the other prisoners had died down to complete silence, everyone staring at him. He looked around and whenever he met someone's eyes, the prisoner would immediately look away. Flynn went back to the wall opposite to the entrance and slid down to sit on the floor there. He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping.

He _hated_ it when people talked bad about Yuri. After all, Yuri had paid enough for mistakes that were not his, had carried burdens that he did not need to bother with. Even Flynn's problems had he taken onto his own shoulders. If anyone deserved to be left in peace then it was the swordsman he was proud to call his best friend. Never had he seen a man so strong with yet so much darkness to accompany him. Flynn wished so much that Yuri would one day receive all the glory that had always meant to be his. For, beside his dream to change the world, he had another one. And that was seeing the day Yuri would be treated like the hero he had always been to him. So that the true savior of Terca Lumireis would no longer have to walk in the shadows. The wish to help was so strong that it broke Flynn's heart to think that he would never be able to see that dream come true. In this dark hour, he thought that if he had one last wish he would even decide on Yuri's safety before he thought about changing the world. His friend had come to mean so much to him that even Flynn did not know anymore how much exactly. He now regretted never telling Yuri so, remembering the countless times he had criticised him and had stayed stubborn, given him the cold shoulder when he could have said the things that were plaguing his mind now. Even if he was granted to write one last letter, he simply would not know how to word his thoughts. If he was lucky he would die of embarrassment instead of being executed. The thought of Yuri teasing him for saying something sappy made him smile, though. If he had known it would end like this, he would have appreciated the time he spent with his friend more.

* * *

The door was pushed open and into the room stumbled a frightened guard. The man hurriedly approached the desk that had once belonged to the man that just knocked out his partner. Now Flynn did not sit at in anymore, instead it was a man with shoulder-lengthy, black hair and matching dark blue eyes that kept examining the guard who was currently trying to catch his breath.

"What is it? Why did nobody teach you to knock?" his voice was calm yet demanding, it made the man in front of him stiffen.

"My apologies, sir…," he panted. "But Scifo just knocked out my shift partner… I think he's going crazy or something. And seriously… I don't wanna go down there anymore. Maybe we should move him into a cell further down in the dungeon. I mean what if he breaks out somehow? The cells are for common criminals, not psychos…"

Commandant Heels crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, confident of himself. "Then make sure he doesn't break out." He motioned to the knight beside him to come closer. "Cole, why don't you get your men and pay Scifo a visit?" The man understood, nodded and passed the other guard by, leaving the room. The confused guard was dismissed again. Before he left, though, he turned around once more and asked.

"Do I have to go down there again?" Which earned him a smile from the new commandant.

"For now it's better if you stay out." The guard nodded hesitantly and then finally left the room, the door closing with a clicking sound.

Heels then turned to the only knight still left in his room. "Would you be so kind as to do me a favour as well? You will probably need to stay longer today…"

Outside of the commandant office stood Sodia, trying her best to listen to the words spoken on the other side of the door. The scared, running guard had caught her attention in the hallway and she decided knowing the situation could not harm her. She did not exactly know what Lieutenant Cole and his brigade were up to now but nothing of this seemed to be in Flynn's favour. It was also hard to make out the exact words they were exchanging inside the office. One thing she was able to catch, though, and it made her purple eyes widen in horror. She flinched away from the door, still staring with wide eyes. What would she do with that information now? Who could she trust and who would believe her? Think, Sodia, she told herself. Then a person came into her mind and she immediately turned to walk down the long hallway, staying professionally calm and unsuspicious. Finding the door of her destination, she knocked twice and entered after having received permission. She immediately closed the door behind her and bowed quickly.

"I'm sorry to disturb, Lady Estellise…" The addressed girl closed the book she had been reading, deeming the look on the lieutenant's face to be no good sign.

* * *

Only a couple of minutes had passed since the guard had run upstairs, his partner still lying on the ground, unmoving. Flynn was sitting solemnly on his spot on the cold, stone floor against the wall, when he heard the sound of quickly approaching steps. He figured it might be four to six people and only for a moment did he wonder what might bring them down there until he figured the scaredy cat must have brought some colleagues along. So he did not look up when he knew the small group was standing in front of his cell. The metal bars rang sharply as they were hit. Still, Flynn would refuse to look up at them. He heard the door unlock with a click and open. The lieutenant and a knight from right behind him went inside. He was still greeted by the top of the blond's head as he ignored the men.

"Look up, Scifo, will you!" the older male demanded as he stood over him. Slowly, the head of blond rose to meet the other's eyes with a stern gaze. The eye contact lasted only for a moment when the boot of the lieutenant already collided with his prisoner's jaw. "How dare you think you could assault my men and get away with it, huh!?" The yell sent some spit flying directly at Flynn's face and he slowly wiped at it in a disgusted manner as he sat back up. There were so many things, insults, comebacks on his mind at that moment but he remained silent nevertheless. In the meantime the rest of the group had entered the cell as well, keeping the door open since nobody thought he had a chance to get past them anyway.

Cole drew his sword and put the tip of it under Flynn's chin to lift it up. He was met with the same stern, blue eyes from before and seeing him not even twitching at some sort of pain fueled the anger of the older male. He slashed the blade across the blond's cheek, leaving no too deep wound, though. Flynn winced at the burning, fresh wound but bit back any more sounds. However, he had to try a bit harder to keep silent when he was harshly pulled up by his hair, forced to look at the man he once called companion.

"Your arrogance is pissing me off!" Flynn did not pay attention to his words but used his chance to headbutt the inattentive man who let his sword slip to the floor to clutch at his hurting forehead and stumbled backward in the process. That alarmed the other knights and some drew their swords, one coming directly at him with his weapon raised over his head to strike. The ex-commandant, however, knew more about an effective fighting style and kicked his attacker in the stomach before he could bring his sword down. Another knight followed and Flynn almost missed his chance to dodge that blow but still managed to. He knew it was risky but he had to try. The next attack he did not dodge, instead took a small step backward and raised his confined hands into the air, pulling them as far apart as the chain would allow. When the sword struck he shut his eyes tightly, still afraid he might lose a hand or two. The metal chain clinked and dropped to the stone floor in pieces. His wrists were still bothered by heavy, metal cuffs but at least he could move his hands freely again. A second later he was thankful that the cuffs were still on his wrists as they served well to block the next blow. And as the knight was busy preparing for another attack, Flynn had already swung one metal-covered wrist to hit the back of his head, successfully knocking him out.

Suddenly something hard collided with the back of his head and he could barely keep his balance, but did not fall. When he turned around it was Cole who grabbed him by the collar to sweep him off his feet and slam him onto the hard stone ground. The sheer force knocked the breath right out of him and he was left coughing for a moment. However, he was left no time to recover. A powerful kick forced him flat against the floor again as it hit his chest. He was distracted as he had to cough some more. All the knights had gathered around their prisoner by now and after Cole had made a start, all the others had joined in to kick their already curled up opponent on the floor. Flynn had no chances of fleeing from their brutality anymore, one kick following another. One hit his head, another made a rib crack, another one hit right into his stomach. There was neither time to defend himself properly nor could he strike back, all he could do was hope they would be done soon. The last attack turned out to be exceptionally painful as the lieutenant's boot pounded right onto his forearm, making his radius crack and break. That was the only time Flynn let out so much as a scream, his arm throbbingo with stinging pain.

"That shall teach you," came the raspy voice of the tall lieutenant. He rubbed at his hurting forehead once more as the knights already left the cell. He stomped his foot down on the blond head, extracting a whimpering sound from the beaten prisoner. Leaning forward a bit he growled "I hope we are clear that next time won't be a cuddling session like this if you dare to make a move again." He received no answer, but actually expected none anyway and so he and his men retreated. "Come on, men, our job is done here." He turned to the other prisoners "What are you bastards staring at, huh?! Need a share as well?!" and then he left the dungeon, cursing under his breath about 'lowlives' and 'scum'.

Flynn lay on the floor, unmoving except for flinching from the many places on his body that hurt. Thinking of that, he assumed there was hardly a spot on his body that was not hurting. He was still curled up in a pile of misery. Pain coursing throughout his whole body like electric shocks. His breathing was ragged due to the irregular waves of pain. He whimpered miserably as he tried to sit up but did not even manage as much and decided he would lie still for a while longer. When only his mind and adrenaline seemed to calm down, his aching body still in the same shape as before, he felt his sight going blurry. Closing his eyes did not make anything feel better, but he had grown tired, worn out from the latest events. And before he knew it the welcoming darkness had completely devoured him, pulling him into unconsciousness.

* * *

In the endless darkness he heard a distant sound he could not quite name. The next sound, though, he could tell it was sizzling and it grew louder. Finally he was slowly coming to his senses again. He knew because he could feel that it was quite warm. Wait. He was in the dungeon and he could feel that the floor beneath him was undeniably cold. So why was the air growing warmer every second? What was this smell? Smoke. And suddenly there were voices, they sounded panicked. It made him feel uneasy to hear them upset and frightened. What was happening? He tried to open his eyes and only managed to do so very slowly. Everything was still blurry but very bright and painted in shades of orange. Also, it was not simply warm anymore, it was definitely edging toward hot now. He tried hard to focus and slowly everything that was going on came into view. Crystal blue eyes widened at the realization…

The dungeon was on fire. On the floor in front of his cell he found a path of straw that stretched across the whole dungeon and went partly also into his own cell. He instinctively tried to get further away from the threat but was painfully reminded of his fractured arm. He figured that his body must be dark with bruises as well. He looked around the cell. Was there even a way to break out of this prison? He found nothing tool-like lying around.

"Damnit…" he swore through gritted teeth. Slowly he sat up, trying not to strain his broken arm anymore. When he had managed a sitting position, he pushed his back against the wall, left arm helping to get him to stand up. There were blades of straw not too far away from his own feet that were catching fire, too. Only now that he was standing did he breathe in most of the smoke that was in the air. And since the dungeon was always locked, there was no way for the smoke to escape. He covered his mouth, coughing. Looking down once more, he realized that there were also a few parts on the floor where there was definitely no straw and yet they were aflame. He supposed that someone must have set the fire with not only straw but oil as well. And he had a vague guess that it all had to do with him. Someone seemed to be too impatient to wait for his death sentence and execution. He was by now coughing violently, found no time to stop and breathe some air that would not alarm his lungs.

He walked forward, careful where to step so he would not catch fire as well. It was dangerous with flames reaching higher than himself and flicking around wildly. He finally reached the front of the cell and checked the surroundings. Outside of his cell the situation was even worse, but it was worth a try. He looked at the probably burning hot metal bars and gave them a kick. They did not give in the least bit, of course. He tried again with more force, not caring that his body was screaming in pain. He tried over and over again, coughing and swearing. Screaming for help would be in vain. He had to get out of there himself. Nobody would come anyway…

He tried again, his body covered in sweat already. He decided to try slamming his shoulder against the bars and hissed when his hand accidentally touched the burning hot metal. Desperately he tried over and over again, growing tired and weak. A coughing fit made him stop and he could feel the fire so dangerously close to him. There had to be a way out of this.

"Flynn!" His heart skipped a beat as he heard a female voice call his name. She called again and he knew who it was.

He wanted to call back but all that came out was more coughing. "Lady… Lady Estellise…!" he cried weakly, voice cracking. She called back once more, her voice filled with both panic and hope.

A figure came into view, but it was not Estelle as Flynn had expected. Instead it was Sodia, the princess right behind her. "Flynn! Don't worry, we will get you out!" She hastily casted a spell and after a moment a bright light formed into a barrier that kept the flames out of the way. Sodia hurriedly went to the door of his cell and, to his surprise, she actually had the right keys to unlock the cell. Estelle coughed from the smoke he had breathed in before, her barrier flickering. "P-please hurry, lieutenant…"

Sodia did as told and unlocked the door. As soon as the door opened, though, Flynn lost his balance and was glad he could rely on Sodia to catch him. She slang his arm over her shoulders, steadying him and glanced over to him. "Can you walk?" The blond gave her a nod, not sure if his voice would have allowed any words. Beside that, he was very relieved that she had chosen his left arm, else it would have hurt quite a bit.

"Alright." Estelle widened the barrier to protect the others better. Outside the dungeon Sodia found them a hiding place in the dark under the staircase and waited silently. In the meantime Estelle was waking up the castle and informed everyone of the fire in the dungeon. After her work was done, she quickly made her way back to the other two.

Flynn tried his best not to cough when knights passed them by, running off to help extinguish the fire. "Sodia…," he whispered and the girl looked back at him. "Thank you." She blushed, not in the least having expected that right now. Only then did she fully become aware of the lack of distance between and wished she could have been this close to him on happier occasions.

"You're welcome, sir."

"Flynn…"

"Pardon?"

"I'm not your superior anymore." She remained silent for a moment and just when she opened her mouth to say something Estelle joined them again, startling them a little.

"Are you injured, Flynn?" she asked while she took care of the wound on his cheek.

"I think my right arm is fractured."

"Alright…" After she had finished taking care of his face she went to his right arm, touching it gently to see if she could feel anything and when she found a spot that made Flynn hiss in pain, she did not try any longer and immediately got to work. "How did that even happen?"

He hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether he should burden her with that piece of information or not. On the other hand, it would have been rude not to answer. "Cole's brigade," he replied simply. Green eyes looked up at him, a little shocked.

"I didn't think he could do such a thing…"

Suddenly they saw knights exiting the dungeon instead of entering. One knight that was about to go inside asked another why they were running that direction and the answer was "Scifo has escaped somehow! We have to catch him before he leaves the city."

Flynn heaved a sigh as he watched the scene and got to his feet. Estelle protested immediately. "W-wait! It's not completely healed yet."

"I should go before they see you with me. I don't want you to get involved in this, too. It's bad enough already that Yuri did…," he said, drifting off.

Estelle gave him a sympathetic look. "Flynn…"

"You shouldn't go all by yourself," Sodia chimed in, but Flynn shook his head.

"I have to. Thank you for your help."

There was silence for a moment until Estelle suggested "I will try to distract the guards."

"Thank you, Lady Estellise." She leaned in and embraced him, sighing miserably. "Please take care of yourself."

Flynn nodded reassuringly. "I will. Don't you worry." She let go of him again and stepped out into the hallway and ran into the direction of the entrance where she hoped to find most of the knights. In the meantime Flynn and Sodia had ascended to the second floor in the hope that there would be no knights. They went into Estelle's room and locked the door behind them. The lieutenant opened the closest window and checked the surroundings.

"Alright…," she said and opened a bag that was around her hip to extract a rope. Flynn thought it was old-fashioned but could not think of a plan to escape himself, so he remained grateful for the help. After Sodia had fastened the rope and checked whether it was safe, she motioned for Flynn to go first. So he sat down on the window sill, pulling on the rope once more to see if it could really carry him and decided it was safe to go. It was an especially hard task since his right arm still hurt a lot, but it was working nevertheless even if slowly. When both had solid ground beneath them again, they went for the exit of the palace garden. The exit was also the entrance to the castle. Fortunately, Estelle was doing a great job at keeping the knights completely distracted, so they had the chance to pass through the gate. When one knight almost saw the two of them exiting, Estelle casted the first thing that she could think of for the sole purpose of blinding them with the bright light. They rubbed their eyes, whining about how bright that had been in contrast to the dark of the night. Estelle apologized, making up a silly excuse and smiled sheepishly.

Meanwhile, Flynn and Sodia had already left the grounds of the palace. When they unexpectedly caught sight of a troupe of knights passing by, they both pressed themselves against the wall of a house, waiting for them to leave but there were more knights. Still they had to get through somehow. Sodia thought for a moment, then turned to her former superior and whispered "Take the western route, I will get them to take the eastern one. The rest is up to you, though, I'm sorry."

"You have done more than enough. If I can somehow return the favour…"

"Just… just one question, if I may…" Flynn did not know whether to be fine with that request or be afraid of the question she might ask. Then again, he owed her his life.

"Yes?"

She took a deep breath as if it was not easy for her to ask and it made Flynn nervous as well. "…Are the rumours true? I mean… what the witness said…?"

Flynn shook his head. "No. It's not true. It's true that Yuri visited me, but I did not plot anything against the Empire with-"

"No, not that… Are you and him…?"

Oh. She wanted to know about _that._ "…No."

She seemed very relieved all of a sudden and Flynn could not help but wonder why. Did she have feelings for Yuri? No, absurd. "Alright. Take care." And with that she went out of the shadows to run toward the troupe. She feigned exhaustion, panting, and called out to the knights that Flynn Scifo had taken the eastern route. Most of the knights led by Sodia then took said route through the Royal Quarter, only two knights decided they should stay, just in case.

And even in his current condition it was not too hard to beat those two. He took advantage of the fact that his opponents could not see him and knocked out the first knight like he had before, using the handcuffs as his weapon to hit the back of the man's head. When the remaining knight noticed him, Flynn had already taken the sword of the unconscious man to defend himself. He was not very talented with his left hand but it was enough to rip the sword out of the man's grip with one strike and thrusted the handle of his sword into the male's face. While the knight was trying to recover from that blow, stumbling backward and clutching at his face, Flynn used that chance to take the western route just as planned.

Most of the way was calm since it was in the middle of the night and it was also thanks to Sodia's help. He had already reached the Lower Quarter without any troubles. It was too calm. Though, maybe he should not have thought like that because at the main gate he was greeted by the familiar, unwelcome sight of more knights. He hid in the darkness, pressed flat against a wall and looked down at the sword in his hand. Maybe this could work. He threw the sword into the opposite direction where it hit the pavement with a loud, shattering sound. The noise caught the knights' attention and they immediately left their posts to check on the situation. Flynn would have been embarrassed for their carelessness if he still were the commandant. For now it only served to come in handy. He sprinted forward and passed through the gates as well. His hopes that the knights would not notice him were crushed when their yells filled the air and Flynn did not have to look to know they were after him now. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, but since his body was so strained he knew this might not end well for him. He was aiming for the woods nearby to shake them off. They were slowly getting closer now but so was the forest.

Finally, he reached his destination. What Flynn did not know about that part of the forest surprised him in a negative way. He came to an abrupt stop, barely keeping his balance but stumbling back a step. In front of him was an enormous precipice, on the far away ground stretched a river. He was panting heavily as he was looking down and trying to find a solution. He searched for some sign of a bridge. Then suddenly the voices of the knights were very close. Startled by the sudden noise, he turned around a little too swiftly and his foot slipped down the edge. He gasped as he noticed what was happening and the first thing he did was reach out to hold onto something, anything. Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong arm. Even though his right hand had found a root to hold onto, the relief was short-lived when the pain was stronger and made him let go.

When the knights had finally caught up all that was left of Flynn Scifo was the sight of him falling down the canyon and into the stream of the river…

* * *

A/N: Thank you all for reading! And big thanks to my beta, too~ Hope to see you in the next chapter again.


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